Or, Why The “This Isn’t Us” Narrative is Wrong Stop me if this sounds familiar. Following an important election in which a multiracial coalition propelled their candidates to positions of power, white supremacists, both egged on and directly supported by politicians who decried the validity of the election, directly attacked the government in a coup d’état attempt. During this attempt, there was little resistance from the police and other authorities as white supremacists carried out their attack; during the violence and chaos of the attempted coup, people died. The events that I just described serve as a pretty apt description of the events of January 6, 2021, when white supremacists stormed the United States Capitol in an attempt to interrupt and overturn the Electoral College count for the 2020 Presidential Election. But the above description also applies to another coup attempt in American history, one where...
As a historian (in the sense that I have a degree in history), one thing I've noticed over the years is that there seem to be notable gaps and misinformation in the general public understanding of US History, particularly surrounding the grim aspects of our history. I hope to help rectify that in a small way by helping illuminate historical events and connecting them to current events in an easy to understand way. Even if only a few people see this, I hope it helps spread historical knowledge.